At 18 weeks pregnant, Tamesha Means’ water broke, an event that generally results in a stillbirth or the baby’s death. Means lived in a rural area, much like Humboldt, where she had access to one hospital: Mercy Health, a Catholic institution. The hospital sent Means home without treatment, despite her dangerous condition. Means had already […]
St. Joseph Hospital
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Controlled Burning, the Woman’s Club, Accessibility and Abortion
This week we have a story from Indian Country Today about the Karuk Tribe and a historic agreement with the state to make way for “good fire.” We’re also looking back at the history of the Eureka Woman’s Club and its kitchen-based fundraising. This week’s issue also shares thoughts on accessibility at Cal Poly Humboldt […]
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Judge Takes St. Joseph Abortion Case Under Submission
After hearing about 30 minutes of oral arguments this morning over whether he should dismiss or delay a landmark lawsuit from the California Attorney General’s Office alleging St. Joseph Hospital violated state law when it refused to provide a medically necessary abortion, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning took the matter under submission, saying […]
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NCJ Preview: Doing its Part, Fall in the Redwoods, St. Joseph Hospital Update
On this week’s NCJ Preview, News Editor Thadeus Greenson talks about this week’s cover story, “Doing Its Part,” about Eureka City Schools’ efforts to create a more supportive environment for Native students. Arts and Features Editor Jennifer Fumiko Cahill then shares Simona Carini’s’ story of a hike on the James Irvine Trail in “Fall in […]
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NCJ Preview: Providence’s Brutal Billing, Yang’s Wings
This week we’re talking about the New York Times‘ exposé on how Providence Health has accepted $1 billion in tax breaks to care for the poor but has hounded those qualified for free care with sometimes devastating bills. It’s an issue that hits Humboldt via St. Joseph Hospital and its clinics. We’re also getting to […]
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Nurse Shortages in California Reaching Crisis Point
In the past month, four emergency room nurses — exhausted by the onslaught of patients and emotional turmoil wrought by COVID-19 — have quit at the Eureka hospital where Matt Miele works. Miele, who has been a trauma nurse for four years, is actively looking for a less stressful nursing position and has colleagues who […]
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Virtual Forum on Move to Close Birth Center at Redwood Memorial Set for Thursday
Providence has announced a virtual community meeting will take place Thursday with local CEO Roberta Luskin-Hawk to discuss the controversial decision to close the birthing center at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna this summer and transition deliveries over to St. Joseph Hospital. In a Feb. 26 announcement, the health care system cited declining birth rates […]
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Flash Fiction 2020
Once again, our readers are the writers in the annual contest of narrative brevity judged by a team of story lovers: Booklegger owners Jennifer McFadden and Nancy Short, retired children’s librarian JoAnn Bauer, Eureka Poet Laureate and College of the Redwoods professor David Holper, and myself. The influence of the pandemic is visible here and […]
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NCJ Preview: Strain on Healthcare Workers, Birding in Place and Self Care (sort of)
This week, the Journal talked with St. Joseph Hospital staff about caring for COVID-19 patients and the toll it takes. Their words are worth heeding as we head into winter. We’ve also got a stress suggestion: birding. It’s calming and cheap-cheap. As for buying your way out of pandemic stress, we’re taking a humor break […]
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Fatigue, Fear and Frustration
If you talk to healthcare providers treating COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, the linchpin in Humboldt County’s pandemic response, they all have a story to tell about when the reality of their challenge hit home. For Kristen Beddow, the charge nurse in St. Joseph’s emergency room, it was losing a patient. Beddow […]
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Humboldt’s First COVID Vaccine Shipment Arrives
The first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Humboldt County this morning and is being stored in a special freezer at St. Joseph Hospital. Public Health will be working with area healthcare providers over the next few days to coordinate getting out the first 975 doses to priority recipients, according to a county release. […]
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Nurses Picket for Staffing, Increased Aid Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, T-S reports
Local nurses and supporters held an information picket today on Harrison Avenue by St. Joseph Hospital, part of a nationwide effort to call for increased staffing and federal funding amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Times-Standard reports. Read the full story here.